The Blind Spot Years of Rock and Roll Between Elvis and the British Invasion

After Elvis Presley joined the Army in 1958 but before the British Invasion of 1964, there was a forgotten period in American music. Here, rock and roll existed in a liminal space. These few years were mostly dominated by Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” on the radio. Typically, memory tends to skip over this period in favor of jumping straight to the Beatles.

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However, this span of five years between Elvis’ popularity and the Beatles’ American landing was populated by pop standards, surf rock of middle America, and influential girl groups. It’s even plausible that this little swath of time prepared the way for the rabid response to British rock and roll.

During this time, Roy Orbison was at the peak of his career. From 1960 to 1964, he had 22 singles in the Top 40. Additionally, Motown groups were in their heyday, specifically girl groups. The Beatles, in particular, were fans of these groups.

According to a 1992 interview with George Harrison, “We always loved those American girl groups, like the Shirelles and the Ronettes.” He continued, “so yeah we developed our harmonies from trying to come up with an English, male version of their vocal feel.”

Motown, Surf Rock, and Girl Groups: How a Forgotten Stretch of Time Prepared America for the British Invasion

Popular music in the mid-to-late 50s usually included horns, string arrangements, and other big band elements. But edging into the 60s, rock and roll rhythm started to take hold. While Motown groups are often categorized into R&B or soul genres, at the time they included elements of early rock and roll. Allegedly, record companies typically ignored this on the basis of race.

According to a historical account by Hearing the Americas, the Billboard R&B chart was once called the Race Chart. This specifically separated music made by African Americans from music made by white people, creating an invisible barrier that controlled who listened to what.

Girl groups like the Crystals featured rock and roll influences, and allegedly inspired Bruce Springsteen down the line. Additionally, surf and instrumental rock was huge in the American heartland. Bands like Ohio-based Johnny and the Hurricanes and Indiana-based The Rivieras were paving the way for the British Invasion. However, the arrival of the Brits essentially wiped out their popularity.

This period of time before the British Invasion is full of even more influences. While it’s not exactly forgotten, it became more of a blind spot in musical memory. These few years were crucial for the success of the British Invasion. They created the enthusiastic embrace that awaited the Beatles and others.

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